Review : Mackie Big Knob Passive

I have a very simple issue. I have two audio sources that both put out signals as separate left and right channels over TRS jacks. I never use them for output at the same time, and I have one pair of studio monitors that I want to share.

Should be simple.

A web search reveals not so simple because what I want is known by a dozen different names and none of them look like studio monitor switcher. These are not speaker switchers, I am looking for a 2 in 1 out line level switcher that has TRS or XLR jacks.

I remembered back when I bought my Focal monitors and the dealer had a number of pairs of monitors connected to various sources through a box from Mackie. I found that there are three. One is over $200 CAD and one is well over $400 CAD. Too expensive. But there was one called the Big Knob Passive that looked right up my alley.

It was, of course, out of stock, so I ordered one from Amazon Canada. It arrived the next day, along with four TRS to TRS cables so I could connect the Apollo and the Rodecaster to the Big Knob Passive. Documentation was non-existent, but I managed.

The knob was very smooth to turn and the engineering looked impressive. With the knob fully clockwise, you are getting 100% of the signal coming out of your source. Roll it counter clockwise and you have a very finely graduated volume control.

It all seemed ok, until I turned the knob up to where it was letting through all the signal from the sources. There was crackling and spitting. The box is passive. There is no power. It’s a bunch of switches and a potentiometer. Overpriced at $100 CAD but if it worked.

Except it didn’t work. So long as I kept the knob below half, it was fine, but that was not going to be useful. So I packed it up and did a return to Amazon. Their system offered to send me a replacement right away while I returned the first one. Okay, let’s do that.

The replacement unit arrived in a couple of days. I hooked it up and YUCK The same noise. So I got on the support email to Mackie. I had time to return the second one and wanted to make sure that I was not the issue and also to be sure that the cables were not the issue. While I waited for Mackie to respond (it took five days) I tested each cable in multiple alternative settings and there were no issues. If I connect either the Apollo or Rodecaster direct, there are no issues.

While I waited, I went out on the Interwebs to check if others had these issues. I should have done this first. Hells yes others had issues. Lots and lots of complaints about the Big Knob units, not just the Passive but also the Studio and the Studio+ The problem? They were all noisy, and the powered units appeared to be suicidal with many of them dying in relatively short order after installation. Hmmm.

Then Mackie replied. They were very polite. They said that I must have gotten a bad unit, and then another bad unit and perhaps I should try a third unit.

Once is happenstance, twice is circumstance, three times is enemy action. I packed up the second unit and processed a return to Amazon Canada. This time they did not offer to send me a replacement.

I found alternatives, but most were stupidly expensive for what is really a very simple construct. If I had the time and frankly the interest, I could build my own, there is no rocket science involved. I’m not going to do that.

I did find that Behringer has recently released a box called the Studio M. It looks frightfully like a Big Knob Passive. It costs $75 CAD. Boxing Day is next week and a local shop with stock has everything 10% off. I have to go there anyway for some other stuff so I will try the Behringer. Hopefully it is better than the Big Knob and also better than some other Behringer experiences I have had. We’ll see.

I’m really disappointed. I had used Mackie gear in live work for a long time and it was always tough and reliable. I have a 20 year old Mackie mixer in the basement that was mistreated at length by drunks and other idiots who kept falling into the soundboard area. It never quit. The new Mackie stuff, if you believe the interwebs, is Mackie in name only and is poorly built with minimal QA. That’s a real shame.

As for studio monitor switchers, do not even consider the Big Knob stuff unless you want to join me and tons of others who discovered the hard way that they are noisy junk.

Thanks for reading. If you have a question on guitar or recording gear, please click this link and send me your question. Until next time, peace.